


This is a happy story

by Apocalyptic_lipstick



Category: Arctic Monkeys, Last Shadow Puppets
Genre: M/M, So Much Friendship, So little plot, im bad at summaries please forgive me, of sort, this is a new year fic, this is so mushy i cringeee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-13 18:01:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9135166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apocalyptic_lipstick/pseuds/Apocalyptic_lipstick
Summary: This is a happy story. Alex decided. Whether anyone liked it or not.





	

**Author's Note:**

> It seems like I can only write unplanned stories with no obvious storyline so I apologise to everyone in advance. Also, Happy New Year!

This is a happy story. Alex decided. Whether anyone liked it or not.

 

“This isn’t gonna be a happy story, I’ll tell you that” Jamie shook his head. “No offense to you. No offense to Miles. But people aren’t gonna take this well”

 

“It’s almost 2017. People don’t care where someone’s dick ends up anymore” Matt said while trying to make his daughter sit still for a photo, his Leica bared small amounts of scratches and Dora the Explorer stickers. Breana shouted from the other room that it’s “ _fucking inappropriate to speak about dicks in front of the baby”_ Alex made a mental note that he will then refer to the male genitalia with baby-friendly metaphors moving forwards.

 

“Tell that to the media” Nick chimed in as he facetimed from Jamie’s phone, holding Hearst in one arm, Tahiti sun strong in the background. “Yesterday I found a pap camping outside our hotel, asking if we have plans to make our babies form the next gen Arctic Monkeys”

 

“That’s actually not a bad idea” Alex murmured.

 

“The point is, in this day and age, there are still people who care about these stupid things. And these are the people who have opinions, real stupid opinions about these stupid things” said Jamie, “I mean, we don’t care. Hell, we’ve been playing matchmaker since the day you came back pining over that ‘pretty fit frontman from The Rascal’ and I know you said you don’t care, Al, but we all know how things gonna turn out”

 

The room was silent for a moment. If anything, the group were more on the minimalist side in terms of their words and It’s not often that they would acknowledge this but underneath the jabbings and the banters, they were a tightly-knitted group of friends looking out for each other. Alex’s sensitive side was nothing new and it caused the band a collective pain to see him suffer. Though they noted that Alex had been improving on his smug, nonchalant facade over the years, after the cameras were gone, old Al was still anxious and went to pick apart what happened to find more things he could blame himself on.

 

“It’s different this time” Alex said, after a long pause “I have Miles with me”

 

Though his back was turned to him, Alex could feel Matt smiling at the words. Jamie rolled his eyes. An audible aww came from Nick’s wife on Jamie’s phone. It might not seem like much of a statement for other people, but for the Monkeys, this is Alex making a decision. The long pause and the certainty in his choice of word, _he had Miles with him_ ; it’s more of a declaration, the group silently noted.

 

“Ugh god no” Jamie sighed dramatically “We’re gonna be hearing more of this from now on, eh? Like on papers and telly now?”

 

“You mean, more than we already have?” Matt asked half-jokingly

 

“Maybe the internet will make websites for them!” Nick said in a sing-song voice, baby Hearst giggled happily.

 

“They already have” Breana swung herself down the couch Jamie was sitting on and showed the band her phone. Jamie squinted and made a face. Nick, on the other side of the world, looked properly clueless and asked for what he should search. Alex took the phone and started scrolling down the page awkwardly. Matt laughed so hard he started to wheeze.

 

“Wha-…what does it even mean? Milex? Is that even a word?” Alex mumbled, finger tapping at the links on the page. Pictures, drawn arts, collected interviews, videos, and did he see _stories_?

 

“Miles and Alex” Breana held up her index fingers, the same way people would teach toddlers how to count, and brought them together into a pair “Milex”

 

“Great, you two come with your own hashtag even before you come out” Jamie sniggered. Breana turned to him with a strange spark in her eyes

 

“Don’t think they’ve left you out, Cookie, ‘Jamex’ is also among fan favorites out there”

 

“What the fu-“ Jamie sprung up credulously and was silenced by Breana and Matt’s “no f-word in front of the baby” look.

 

“…fupple. How did people get that from?” He took the phone from Alex, who was still looking puzzled over the new information, and started searching the word. One of the first pictures were the one where they were goofing around in the dressing room. Alex, in full quiff and sunglasses, was “riding” on top of him. In hindsight, Jamie could see how that would look to other people.

 

“Fine. But that’s only because Al’s a dirty tart” Alex feigned shock at the words and Breana laughed. It’s the coldest day of winter yet to Alex the room felt warm and cosy. He looked around the room and was suddenly overwhelmed by how blessed he was that the choices he made throughout his life had led him to this group of people, and how he hoped that his next choice would lead him further into the new chapter of his life. The seat next to him suddenly felt too empty.

 

“So,” Matt started, and turned to look at Alex.

 

“So,” Jamie looked at the ceiling, chewing the inside of his cheek to suppress a smile.

 

“So,” Alex countered, looking back to his friends.

 

“Wait, what are we soing about now? Jamie! Turn me towards the group, I can’t see anyone!” Nick yelled from Tahiti. Jamie laughed and flipped the phone back to the group.

 

“So what are we waiting for?” Matt said, smile spreading on his face “It’s the New Year. New Year needs a happy start”

 

“New Year, new era” Jamie said to the ceiling.

 

“Oh, right, ok. Al!” Nick called and Alex popped his head in front of the phone to see a smiling Nick on the screen.

 

“Go tell them, mate. Tell them you love Miles Kane and you don’t care. And if they don’t like it, they can go fu-“ A hand slapped Nick’s shoulder and without missing a beat, he said with a cheeky smile, “…fupple themselves”

 

Alex felt like it was the first day he hit a full chord on his guitar, like the first day the band played a full set of the songs they’ve written together and it sounded like proper music, like the first show they did with him as the frontman and the Monkeys made him swear he’ll never doubt himself again.

 

“Thanks, guys, I’m…” Alex managed, “Thank you”

 

Nick waved goodbye and yelled at Jamie to learn a proper FaceTime etiquette. Jamie excused himself to call Katie, presumably to tell her about the news as they could hear a happy shrieking sound from the other side of the phone as Jamie suddenly have to yank the phone off his ear. Matt started to talk to Alex about alerting their manager and the record label about the announcement, but all Alex could manage was some nods and vague, agreeing sounds as his heart pounded and bloomed in his chest. Before they parted, Breana gave him a tight hug and told him to call her if he ever needed to look up more of _“the internet thing”_ Alex wasn’t sure what she meant.

 

The night sky was clear when Alex got in to his car. The dots on the digital clock ticked. The world was only hours away from 2017. A lot had happened this year. Some of it good, others he’d very much like not to revisit. But Alex was always hopeful for the New Year. Matt was right, New Year needs a happy start.

 

The phone rang from the passenger seat next to him. When Alex picked it up, the familiar voice sounded anxious.

 

“How were they…?”

 

“Listen,” Alex said, smiling as the time etching closer to the new dawn. “This is a happy story”

 


End file.
